


Monochrome

by starrylitme



Category: Dangan Ronpa
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Developing Relationship, Disguise, F/M, Idols, SHSL Rare Pair Week, Secret Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-16
Updated: 2015-08-16
Packaged: 2018-04-15 01:37:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,627
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4588077
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starrylitme/pseuds/starrylitme
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Every now and then, she disguises herself to go to this quiet little coffee shop that had the sweetest muffins. It's a quiet little place, especially quiet given the lack of bustling, especially compared to her busy idol life. That makes it all the finer as an escape.</p>
<p>But the barista is much, much too cute. She wants to date him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Monochrome

**Author's Note:**

> My first fic for SHSL Rare Pair Week and what is it but NAEZONO... Yaaaaay. I'm also cross-posting this to tumblr like always for such occasions.
> 
> This is just actually, for the most part, "cute" Naezono with more focus on the hopeful side of things. It was nice to write.

There was this place she liked to frequent, a little coffee shop with the sweetest muffins that was tucked in the corner as opposed to standing proud where the general crowd was. There were only a few customers due to how out of the way it was, but it was a decent enough place, with a calm quiet that was rarely if ever broken by ruckus. In times where she needed such things, it was ideal.

It helped that one of the few workers there was adorable. She might have known him once, she likes to think, but he would have been lost so easily in the crowd with his mousy brown hair, relatively short stature, and earthy green eyes. She may have never really seen that gentle smile of his had she not come to this quiet, unassuming place as often as she did, even if it wasn’t often enough.

He “recognized” her though as a regular; smiling towards her today like he always does, asking if “Mamiya-san” wanted the usual. It’s a shame she never could use her real name. She rather liked the way his voice sounded—especially around the syllables of her fake name, almost more than she liked the sound of his name.

“Thank you as always, Naegi-kun.”

Naegi laughs, already moving to pull out one of the muffins, handing it over and making his way to the coffee maker. “It’s really nothing, Mamiya-san.”

Maizono hummed thoughtfully, but also carefully—she can’t sound too closely to how she sang. But all the same, Naegi did jerk for a moment before moving on without another word and she wondered. Still, she bit her tongue, keeping quiet as she waited for her usual cappuccino, sugared with syrup with Naegi decorating the top in a way that looked like there were brown hearts in the foamy top layer.

“Mamiya-san,” he says setting it carefully in front of her, popping the cap on top. She only catches a glimpse of those hearts but when she looks back up at Naegi, his smile is sheepish, his cheeks pink.

“You’re cute,” she answers. “Do you want to date?”

Naegi immediately sputters, making her beam, taking her cup with a giggle. “That’s what you were thinking right? _‘Mamiya-san is cute; I want to date her’_!”

“N-No, that’s wrong! I-I wasn’t thinking anything of the sort...!”

“So you don’t think I’m cute then?” she asks, feigning upset, to Naegi’s dismay. He immediately denies it, sputtering and stuttering.

“No, that’s not what I meant either! I-I mean, Mamiya-san is cute but I wasn’t thinking it right at that moment—not to say I don’t think it either but dating is—a stretch? I don’t know! I really don’t know what I’m supposed to say!”

_...Cute..._ She could only barely muffle her giggles as she heard someone else call out,

“Naegi, your break’s coming up in fifteen. Wait until then to flirt with Mamiya-san.”

“Wait, no! No, that’s _not_ what I was doing, manager-!!”

It’s a good thing no one else was in line. But perhaps that was because she was always fortunate enough to pick a time where there were even less customers than usual.  It made the setup nicer—extra quiet unless she decided to start messing with Naegi. Which she usually did. Because his reactions were just so _cute_.

_I want to date him._

“Fifteen minutes,” she says as Naegi’s still babbling to his manager. He does react—turning to her with wide, disbelieving eyes, and she just smiles as wide as she can in return, clarifying, “Let’s talk then. Naegi-kun.”

“...If you want...” he replies, sheepishly rubbing at the back of his neck. There’s a smile pulling at his lips, a light blush on his cheeks, tinting the soft peachy tone pink, and she only giggles as she pulls away, going and taking her seat to drink her cappuccino and eat her muffin.

Both were sweeter than usual that she ended up getting through them surprisingly quickly. She never would have done that as Maizono Sayaka, but as ‘Mamiya-san’, such things were normal and easily overlooked. Naegi certainly didn’t mind, at least. But Naegi didn’t mind a lot of things—he was such an easygoing, accepting kind of guy.

It was one of the things she really, _really_ liked about him.

* * *

 

“Mamiya-san, I hope you don’t mind...?” he looked between her and the chair across, swallowing with a small, hopeful smile that she grinned at, quickly nodding as she tucked away her phone. Naegi seated himself with a cup of his own—Maizono could almost smell it from where she sat. It was sweet, almost more than hers, possibly.

She couldn’t help but muffle a giggle, and though the barista’s face reddened, Naegi didn’t make a comment. Instead he kept respectfully quiet, clearly waiting for her to speak first.

“I’m glad you could make it.” Maizono kept it light, amused, and Naegi nodded. “You’ve been working diligently, right, Naegi-kun?”

“Yeah... Of course.” Though she wondered about how dull those work days might have been. Naegi was giving her that easy smile, but she knew how slow it could be at this place, as fond of it as she was. She wondered if Naegi ever got bored.

If she didn’t appreciate its quiet so much in comparison to her otherwise busy, noisy life, she might have never given this place the amount of attention she granted it now.

_Nor Naegi-kun himself. I wonder what kind of person that makes me._

The thought had her chest clench and her biting on her lower lip before pulling it out and retrieving her smile. “I was thinking—how about we go somewhere on your time off, Naegi-kun? As nice as the quiet is, commotion can be a good thing every now and then.”

“Y-You mean it, Mamiya-san?” he asked, surprised. “I’m just... I didn’t think you’d be seriously interested—not that I’m implying anything but, you know...”

“You’re not putting yourself down, are you? That’s no good, Naegi-kun,” Maizono shakes her head as she says it. “You’re a very kind-hearted person after all. Don’t take such things for granted.”

“Well, compared to Mamiya-san...”

_You have no idea though, Naegi-kun. ‘Mamiya-san’ may just be a pretty girl but I—am a bit more than that. You have no idea. And I’m pushing it. I’m really pushing it._

“No. You mustn’t say such things, Naegi-kun.”

“...Sorry. If you say so, Mamiya-san.” He smiles sheepishly, fiddling with the straw of his drink. “Thanks, I guess.”

_It’s really, really nothing._ “So that’s a yes, right?”

Naegi flushes a vivid red and Maizono thinks, of course, of apples. Brilliant red apples, just coaxing someone to reach out and pluck them from the tree, to just take a bite to experience sweet and tart. A bitter smile almost pulls at her lips, but once the brunet sheepishly nods, the smile that spreads across her face is honeyed instead.

“Well, then, let’s meet up next week. I’d love for it to be earlier, but I’m such a busy girl you see,” Maizono had a recording. A dress-up. Naegi nods in understanding and she wonders if he’s thinking of Mamiya-san working like he did, smiling at clients and filling out orders. She’s already scribbling out her number on one of the napkins, sliding it to him with a smile that was only for him. “If you want to talk to me sooner, I won’t mind at all.”

“T-Thank you, Mamiya-san,” he stammered a bit, taking the napkin and folding it before pushing it into his pocket, careful so that it didn’t accidentally tear. At the sight, Maizono felt a pang in her chest, even as she kept smiling. “So, what are we going to do?”

“Whatever.” She said, almost flippantly. “I’m up for anything as long as it’s with you, Naegi-kun.”

Naegi swallows, but smiles so brightly at her with that blush spread across his adorable face. She stills, for a moment, smile almost slipping, and just like that, his brief break is over.

“I’ll see you then, Mamiya-san,” he says as he goes, clearly cheery and giddy and returning her polite wave a little too enthusiastically. Once he’s gone behind those employee only doors, her hand and smile both drop.

* * *

She shouldn’t. There are many things that could go wrong. More bad than good, even. She’s fearful of just what this could do to her career once the tabloids got a hold of this. What it could do to her if she let the farce run on for so long that everything just came falling down.

Which is why the second Naegi calls her late at night when she’s in her apartment, she makes a decision.

“Aw, sorry, Mamiya-san, did I wake you? I had a late shift and I just got home but... Ah, I wanted to hear your voice.”

“Many people do, Naegi-kun,” she giggles into the receiver, bright and warm. “But that makes me still so happy to hear, coming from you.”

“Mamiya-san...”

“Sayaka is fine.” Maizono speaks almost quickly. Almost enough that it came across as sharp. She can only hope it doesn’t when she hears Naegi suck in his breath on the other end and tentatively echo her given name back.

“Sayaka...? I thought your name was Saki...?”

_Ah, that’s right._ “I’m truly sorry, Naegi-kun, for misleading you.”

“N-No, wait! Sayaka’s a fine name! I like it better...” He tests it, almost like he was trying to get a feel for it. “Sayaka. Sayaka?”

She couldn’t help but giggle. “If that’s too much to say, you can stick with my family name.”

“Sorry, Mamiya-san.” The shift is seamless. He sounds a lot more at ease, even with a tint of apologetic to his tone.

“No,” she says, shaking her head even though he couldn’t see. “Maizono. Maizono Sayaka.”

There was a startling _thump_ on the other end. She flinched, and Naegi groaned. “I-I... I hit my head... Sorry, w-what was that er, Ma... Ma...?”

“Maizono.”

“...Maizono-san. Maizono Sayaka-san. As in _the_ Maizono Sayaka?” He sounds almost hysterical. The sound he makes when she bluntly confirms it is almost too sharp to be a laugh. “I-I thought you resembled her, but I just chalked that up to coincidence...!”

“Eh, I should improve my disguise then,” Maizono commented blithely, twirling a lock of blue around her fingers and narrowing her eyes at it. “Maybe contacts. Or a wig.”

“So you’re serious then... You’re seriously Maizono-san...” He was still reeling on the other end. Understandable. This almost sounded like something out of a drama. “I... I’m a huge fan?”

“That makes me so happy.” She means it, is even cheery about it and doesn’t have to fake much. “Though I figured—I asked you about a CD of mine, remember? You said _Monochrome Answer_ was your favorite, didn’t you?”

“...Yeah...”

She liked that one too. She actually wrote it sometime after she found that little coffee shop. She remembers the inspiration for it, too—looking out towards the gray, scarce streets and the barely filled seats. In a place that seemed so dull and easy to overlook, there was a familiarity and comfort to it that she wanted to put words and music to.

At that time, when the sun filtered through the windows, it drew her attention to the mousy brunet cheerily welcoming her, asking for her order, and for some reason, this person who she wouldn’t have noticed in a crowd of her cheering fans, now had her full attention.

It might have been love at first sight. She certainly comforted herself with thoughts of that warm welcome and greeting on days where she felt stressed and restless. She nurtured those feelings until it got to this point.

“Naegi-kun, how are you feeling? Now that you know.”

“Huh?” he asked, but quickly answered. “I’m still reeling. Are you sure you’re not joking around? Mami—Maizono-san?”

“I’ll take off my disguise for you sometime if you want.” Maizono offered. “But it has to be when we’re completely alone. There’s a reason I wear it in the first place.”

“I... No, it’s fine. I believe you, Maizono-san. You don’t have to if you don’t want to.”

_...Hmm._

“Naegi-kun... Your first name was Makoto-kun, right?”

“Huh? Yeah.” The question might have startled him a bit, but she couldn’t help but smile. “I’m surprised you remember. I only gave my full name to you once, didn’t I?”

That smile on her face softened, along with her voice, almost dropping into a coo as she pressed her phone closer, “Makoto-kun, will I see you for our date?”

“Yeah... O-Of course! I’m, uh...” Naegi laughed a bit on the other line, clearly embarrassed. “I just...”

_“I just can’t believe Mamiya-san really is idol Maizono-san! Things like this just don’t happen to someone like me!”_

“ _Eh_?! How did you—?!”

“I can read you, even over the phone. You’re so obvious, Makoto-kun.”

“... _Even_ over the phone?”

“I have good intuition.” Maizono said matter-of-factly, sounding proud of herself. “So you’re really okay with it, then?”

“...Yeah...” He sounded distracted. Adoringly, she giggled.

“I’ll see you then, Makoto-kun.”

Despite the heavy weight she’s just shouldered herself with, that click of the phone as she ended the call felt more like relief.

* * *

But she’s not going to overlook that heavy, crushing weight of the many, many things that could go wrong in a situation like this. Too many to count—not even including the ones she doesn’t entertain, like Naegi, no, _Makoto_ doing anything unsavory. She already has a fierce faith in him that he won’t. She’s fine with not worrying about that.

But there are other things. Tabloids. Backlash. That the very idea of an idol dating is unacceptable a lot of the time. She’s seen what happens to girls that place their hearts in one person rather than splitting it into prickly little parts to put in the hand of each fan. That sometimes, the anger stirred from that girl’s foolishness could spread to others—her coworkers could even be at risk of scrutiny. Makoto— _she only can hope no one dares lay a finger on Makoto—_

...hope. She can only hope—for the best. Pray that with enough fortune that everything turns out fine in spite of her foolishness.

It’s funny, it’s really, really funny, _but—_

“Makoto-kun!!” she greets cheerfully as she walks inside, the bell dinging merrily as she pushes open the door. It’s another slow day, she thinks, and Makoto had been watching the clock anxiously. He flinched, startled, when he heard her greeting, and turns to smile at her in return.

“Mami—No, wait? Mai...?”

“Mamiya-san, unless we’re alone,” Maizono whispered, fluttering her eyelashes at him suggestively with a finger to her lips. “It’s just so _embarrassing_ otherwise, Makoto-kun.”

Makoto flushes that brilliant red again and she thinks about pressing her lips to that reddened cheek— _sinking in her teeth to taste the sweet_ —and he nods, seeming to somehow understand. “Sure thing, Mamiya-san. Er, my shift’s about over. Shall we leave?”

As he crosses the counter, she doesn’t hesitate to grasp his arm and pull it close to herself. She leans on him a bit— _he’s shorter than she is, after all, and that adds to how cute he is, even though_ —the motion makes that blush even harder, and he still blinks at her dazedly, like he can’t really believe she’s there. She beams back, taking sweeping glances to notice that no one is looking, before giving in and pressing a kiss to his cheek.

“Let’s go together, Makoto-kun.”

“Ye...” Makoto finally smiles, warm in a way she relishes in it. “Yeah.”

It’s funny how much it feels like, in spite of everything, _it’s going to be fine_.


End file.
